Harborough’s Harry serves up trophy

A tennis-mad 16-year-old from Harborough was chosen to present the men’s singles trophy to the winner of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London on Sunday.

Harry Amos was one of 200 young hopefuls selected to attend trials in Manchester and London last month, where the final Barclays Ball Kids squad of 30 was chosen.

A full day of tests on ball skills, co-ordination, athleticism and team work were undertaken before the final group was selected.

The squad completed an intensive week of training at ‘base camp’ where they developed as a team and undertook Barclays LifeSkills training – the programme helps young people get the skills they need to enter the world of work, and already over one million have taken part.

He presented the Brad Drewett Trophy to the men’s singles final winner on Sunday in front of thousands of tennis fans at The O2 and the millions more watching on TV.

After hearing he had been chosen to present the trophy, Harry said: “I can’t quite believe it.

“I’ve watched the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals many times on the TV, but I never thought I’d be here as a Ball Kid, let alone get the chance to present the trophy.”

Former Wimbledon champion and Barclays’ ambassador Pat Cash said: “Harry was chosen to present the champion with the Brad Drewett Trophy for his development on the Ball Kids scheme; he naturally grew into the role of team leader, becoming an inspiration to his team mates.

“It’s great that Harry was able to represent all the Ball Kids and their hard work will be recognised.”

Nathan Homer, head of Global Sponsorships for Barclays, added: “As well as the obvious excitement of being on court with their heroes, the Ball Kids are a flagship programme for our LifeSkills scheme that aims to give young people training and employability skills.

“Being on the court at The O2, with the world’s best players, watched by millions, certainly teaches you a few things about working as a team under pressure and we have high hopes for all the youngsters who are learning new skills whilst having an experience of a lifetime.”